US1792778A - Tire-making apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 17, 1931. w, 3, STATE 1,792,778

TIRE MAKING APPARATUS Original Filed Sept. '7, 1928 Fig. 2

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Patented Feb. 17, 1931 v UNITED STATES PATENT- orr ca WILL 0. STATE, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSI GNOR TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE 8t RUBBER COM- IPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO TIRE-MAKING AI'PABA'IUIS Original application filed September 7, 1928, Serial No. 304,497.

. 1929. a Serial No. 370,064.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for constructing tire casings, and it has particular relation tov a novel method of applying a tread to a tire carcass and to an apparatus adapted to be employed in practicing the metho This application is a division of application Serial No. 304,497, filed Sept. 7 1928.

It has'been proposed to vulcanize a tread to a tire carcass by utilizing electrically energized heating devices, which are interposed between the tread and the carcass to cause vulcanization of the elements, and they constitute a part of the completed article.

The heating elements heretofore employed have been preformed by various methods prior to their application to the tire carcass, and are consequently expensive. Furthermore, they are very bulky and by their presence between the tread and the carcass they cause a weak and imperfect union between thesetwo'elements. i I

One object of this invention is to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages by the provision of, a novelmethod which involves the application of a, continuouslength of electrical conductor directly to the carcass of the tire, whereby no pre-forming of the electrical heating element "is necessary and the element serves to strengthen rather than to weaken the bond between the tread and the shown in Figure 1;

tire carcass in the completed article.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and efiicient apparatus, whereby acontinuous' length of resistance wire may be circumferentially applied in spaced convolutions to a tire carcass to serve asa heating element for vulcanizing a tread thereto.

For a better understanding of the inven tion reference may now be had to the accompanying drawings forming apart of the disclosure, wherein; 1 Figure 1 is aside elevational view of an pparatus embodying certain featuresof the invention; Y i 1 Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view, on a larger scale, of a portion of the apparatus Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view, partially in section and partially in elevation,

' tated;

Divided and this application filed June 11,

illustrating a mechanism for moving the wire-supplying means as the chuck is ro- Figure dis a fragmentary detail View, on a larger scale, of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which the tread and tire are confined for the vulcanizin operation.

The method herein described involves the mounting of a tire carcass for rotation about its axis, the application of a gum strip to the carcass circumferentially, and the application of an electrical conductor of comparatively high resistance arranged in spaced convolutions about the circumference of the carcass.

A semi-cured tread is then applied to the carcass and is bound thereto by a fabric wrapping strip. An airbag disposed within the carcass is inflated to provide the necessary pressure, and the heating element, composed of the spaced convolutions of resistan e wire, is energized to cause vulcanization :of the tread to the tire carcass.

The apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, broadly considered, involves a supporting stand having a shaft ournaled therein which carries a tire-supporting chuck. A wlre-supplylng mechanism 1s movably secured to an extending portion of the stand and means is provided for moving'the wiresupplying mechanism axially of the tire carcass, that is, in a direction parallel to the axisv of the carcass, as the latter is rotated. This movement causes the wire to be wound in spaced convolutions upon the carcass.-

' In the accompanying drawings a stand 10 rotatably supports a shaft 12 which haskeyed to one end thereof an adjustable tire chuck 13. A motor 14 secured to the base of the stand 10 serves to rotate the shaft 12through the agency of a chain 15. trained about a sprocket wheel 16 on the shaft of the motor and a sprocket wheel .17 rigidly secured to i the shaft 12. r

As shown, a tire carcass 18 and an airbag 19 disposed therein are mounted in the usual manner upon a pair of coacting rings 21 which are secured together by bolts 22 traversing the inwardly extending flanges of the rings. Registering grooves 23 are provided in the rings 21 to accommodate the valve stem 24 of the airbag. A plurality of arms 25, threaded into bosses 26 extending radially outwardly from the hub 27 of the chuck 13, are provided with hand wheels 28 whereby they may be adjusted into and out of engagement with the rings 21 upon which the tire carcass 18 is mounted.

An extension 29 integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to the stand 10 projects horizontally therefrom and has bolted thereto a pair of spaced upright ournal members 31. An'arm' 32 is 'slidably carried upon the extension 29 by means of a rod 33 which is rigidly secured at its ends to the respective journal members 31 and traverses an apertured boss 34 disposed centrally of the arm 32. A pin 35 extending at right angles from the arm 32 serves rotatably to support a reel 36 of resistance wire 37, and a cotter pin 38 traversing the pin 35 prevents accidental displacement of the reel 36.

The end of the arm 32 remote from the pin 35 is formed with an apertured boss 39 upon which a sleeve 4L1 is rotatably mounted and maintained in position by means of a nut 42 threaded on the boss. The wire 37 in its passage from the reel 36 to the circumference of the tire carcass 18 is wrapped aplurality of times about the sleeve 41 and lies in groove 43 provided for this purpose on the sleeve 11. A shaft 44- is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings provided in the re spective journal members 31 and traverses the bosses 39 of the arm 32. A chain 16 trained about sprocket wheels 47 and 48 which are keyed to the shafts 12 and 44-, respectively, serves to rotate the shaft 4ft when the shaft 12, and consequently the tire carcass 18 carried thereby, is rotated.

A pivot pin 49 extending from the exterior to the interior of the boss 39 has pivotally connected to its inner end a follower 51 which is disposed in a double thread 52 formed upon the central portion of the shaft 44:. Rotation of the shaft 14C causes movement of the arms 32 longitudinally of the shaft 44 by reason of the arrangement of the follower 51 within. the threads 52.

The provision of a double thread causes the arm to reverse'its direction of movement automatically when the follower reaches either end of the double thread 52. The sprockets 17 and 18, as shown, are of such size that the carcass 18 is rotated through approximately complete revolutions "while the arm travels from one end of the double thread to the other. It will be observed that provision of this particular feed for the wire-supplying mechanism obviates the necessityof resetting the mechanism for operation upon each tire carcass. lvhen the wire has beenapplied to one carcass and the .in, is mounted upon the pair of rings 21 which are secured together in the usual manner by the bolts 22. This assembly is then operatively positioned upon the chuck 13 by manipulation of the hand wheels 28. Although the tire carcass, being composed of frictioned fabric elements, is capable of receiving and holding the resistance wire as it is wound thereon from the reel 36, it is preferable first to apply a gum strip 53 to the portion of the carcass 18 which is to contact with the tread 5 1.

A portion of the wire 37 spaced from the end thereof is embedded adjacent one edge of the strip 53 and the motor 1 1 is energized to cause rotation of the carcass 18, together with movement of the arm 32 axially of, and in synchronism with, the rotation of the carcass.

. After the tread hasbeen applied to the gum strip 53, which has the resistance wire 37 embedded therein, the carcass 18, the tread 51, the airbag l9 and the rings 21 are removed in assembled relation from the chuck and a binder 55 is wrapped thereabout to retain the tread and carcass in proper assembled relation.

The ends 56 of the heating wire 37 are then connected to a source 57 of electrical current which results in suiiicient heating of the spaced convolutions to insure proper vulcanization of the tread to the carcass. It is preferable to increase the inflation in the air bag slightly during this operation in order to insure the proper degree of pressure for the vulcanizing operation.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that a novel method of applying a tread to a tire carcass has been provided which is very simple, inexpensive and eflioient. The invention also provides a novel mechanism whereby an electrical heating element may be quickly applied to a rotating tire carcass in a novel manner.

Although I have illustrated only one form which may be employed in the practice of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but that the embodiment shown is capable of various minor modifications, and that other embodiments may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A tire -building apparatus comprising a support, a shaft journaled in the support, a tire chuck secured to the shaft, an apertured arm slidably mounted intermediate its ends on the support, a reel of material rotatably carried'by the arm, a second shaft journaled .in the support and traversing the arm, means for rotating the two shafts, and coacting means on the arm and the second shaft whereby the arm is caused to. move in a direction parallel to the axis of the second shaft when the latter is rotated.

2. A tire-building apparatus comprising a support, a shaft j ournaled in the support, a tire chuck secured to the shaft to rotate therewith, an arm slidably mounted intermediate its ends on the support, a reel of material car ried by one end of thearm and disposed substantially in alignment with the chuck, an apertured boss formed on the other end of the arm, a second shaft journaled in the support and traversing the boss, a double thread on the second shaft, a follower carried by the boss and disposed within the thread, and means for rotating the shafts.

3. In combination, a tire building chuck, guideways disposed adjacent the chuck in parallelism with the axis thereof, a carriage slidably mounted upon the guideways, a projecting pin mounted upon the carriage and constituting means for rotatably supporting a reel of wire, means upon the carriage for guiding the wire from the reel to the chuck, and means for actuating the carriage along the guideways when thechuck is rotated.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. 1

Signed at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, U. S. A., this 10th day of June, 1929.

WILL 0. STATE.

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